1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 54



Only Noblemtl

Episode 54 – Father and Son

Click!

When I turned on the Gemix V, a blue MSX boot screen appeared with the [Gemix V / Zeu Electronics] logo on the screen.

Soon the letters disappeared from the blue screen, and a red sun and white clouds appeared in the center.

In the sky where the clouds had passed, the sun had turned golden, and flames were burning around the golden sun, turning the sky into a flag.

It was the Golden Sun Flag awarded to the winner of the Golden Sun Flag Competition.

Beyond the Golden Sun Flag fluttering in the wind, the expansive view of Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium came into view, and lively and energetic cheering song-style music flowed out.

[ Golden Sun Flag National High School Baseball Tournament ]

[ (Cheering at Dongdaemun Stadium!) ]

[ Star Beat ⓒ 1989 ]

“The first screen is strong this time too. The way the sun turns golden and then changes to a flag is really cool.”

“Yes, honey. It felt like I was watching a movie.”

A place to complete and show off the game to your family.

These days, I’m developing games at the company instead of at home, so it’s not easy to show my family the games, let alone see their faces. So no matter how late I get home, I always eat breakfast with my family.

“ starts from the night sky of New York. So this time, we did the opposite. The game title is also , and we likened the sweat and passion of high school baseball to the golden sun.”

“Brother, isn’t that a dream rather than an interpretation?”

“The interpretation is fine, but more importantly, how did you do that flag? How did you draw it fluttering like that?”

Second, when he became a senior in high school, he became much more prickly.

And the youngest, as a game animator, was curious about the production method.

“Yeah, I videotaped the flag waving with a fan, then played it back slowly and drew it. What do you think? Does it look realistic?”

“That’s foul play! Using such cutting-edge equipment!”

The youngest seemed to have a bad feeling when he saw an animation that was one level higher than , which he had been in charge of all by himself.

“How do you do this?”

“Would you like to try?”

Surprisingly, my father asked me first if I wanted to try it. He always cheers me on, but he doesn’t really enjoy playing games.

“Then, try playing a practice match to get used to the game. It’s a mode where you can play just one game lightly.”

The practice game can be played in either 5 or 9 innings, so I chose the short 5 innings first. I showed him the manual that came with the case and explained how to use it.

“This move is quite complicated. It’s not just a simple hit and run.”

“Because it’s a game that focuses solely on baseball games, it’ll be more fun if you try it.”

The exclusion of the story from was due to planning, but in fact, the problem of capacity was also a big one.

If you create a story mode and the protagonist defeats his rivals one by one and finally raises the Golden Sun Flag, you will need a lot of image cuts that convey the story.

It’s not easy to weave a touching story, but it’s even harder to squeeze it into the small capacity of a Jemix ROM pack. That’s why we focused more on the fun of baseball itself.

At the same time, a large number of programmers were hired, and Ji-seok, who was good at math and physics, improved the movement of the baseball, making the game more realistic.

Ji-seok brought his math and physics textbooks from school to the company, and the programmers reminisced about old times and developed a game together.

“Choose your team first.”

“Huh? There’s Seoul Myeongseong High School?”

My father looked over the team and was shocked.

“Myungsung Electronics invested in our company, so we should provide this level of service. Seoul Myungsung High School is the team with the best balance between pitchers and batters.”

“Yes, moderation is the most important thing in anything. Then I guess I should go to Seoul Myeongseong High School.”

My father chose the team with a pleased face.

The game manual lists the characteristics of each of the eight teams and the abilities of their key players with stars.

Compared to , where we didn’t pay much attention to the content because we were rushing to release it, this time we made the components that go into the game more substantial.

[ Play Ball! ]

The scoreboard displayed a large list of teams and players, then the camera zoomed out to show the field and then moved to the batter’s box.

No matter how much effort was put into the graphics, there were limits to how much they could express with the performance of the Gemix. So, to avoid monotony, we tried to present as many diverse screens as possible.

“That cross is where the batter is aiming. The square is the strike zone. Anticipate where the ball will come from, aim for that direction, and swing at the right time.”

“Just in time···!”

My father swung the bat, his shoulders tense and his button pressed hard. The first pitch from the opposing team was a down ball. My father aimed for the up ball and completely missed.

“Poohahahaha! Dad, what is that!”

The youngest held his stomach and laughed at his father’s empty swing. His father just laughed.

“It might be a little hard to get used to at first, but you’ll get used to it soon. Or try using bunts. Myungsung High School’s No. 1 has fast legs.”

“Bunt?”

When my father bunted, the ball rolled toward third base.

“Press the A key repeatedly there!”

“The A key?!?!”

My father repeatedly pressed the A key at my words and narrowly missed first base.

“Ohhhh~!”

The whole family applauded my father’s bunt hit, and my father smiled a little awkwardly.

My father stole second base while he was at it, and scored the first run with a center-field hit by the fourth batter.

“Namjoon, this game is fun. Is this why you play games?”

While playing , my father smiled with a different face than before. It was clearly the face of a boy enjoying the game.

“Did you like baseball?”

“Looking at this suddenly reminds me of the old days.”

“Did you ever dream of becoming a baseball player?”

“I was a baseball player until middle school. I wasn’t the 4th hitter, but I was still the starting shortstop and the coach praised me for my good defense. But when I got to high school, my father told me to help out at the company, so I quit. I was a little disappointed, but I didn’t like getting hit, so I quit the baseball team too.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of this. Why haven’t you told me about it before?”

“Wow! My dad was a baseball player!”

I, and my family, were surprised to hear stories about my father’s school days for the first time.

“Now that you’ve gotten the hang of it, how about we try a two-player game?”

“Oh, then I’m on your side! Even though Dad is a baseball player, you’ll win the game no matter what!”

“Mom, do you think Namjoon will be comfortable too?”

“Then, I will also take Dad’s side.”

“Thank you, Soobin. But you’re the only one I have.”

I enjoyed playing games I developed with my father.

It was a new experience for me.

In my previous life, my father said that it was too complicated to install the mobile game I developed on his phone, and he only played Animal Pang. And he said that he regretted buying me Gemix for the rest of his life.

You said that it ruined my life.

But now, I was sitting next to my father like this, enjoying the game I had made.

Exactly!

“Huh? Huh?”

“It’s a home run! Dad, it’s a home run!!!”

Jihye, the youngest who said she would cheer for her father, quickly changed teams and cheered for him as soon as her father hit a home run.

I played the game on purpose to be risky, but I failed to attack in the 9th inning and lost by 2 points.

“Wow! Dad made the game better than my brother! Now that I look at it, it’s all nonsense. Fighting! I’ll do it this time!”

The youngest took the pad from me. I was watching the game between my father and the youngest, and when I was giving advice, the youngest would call me a loser and cover my mouth.

After having a good time, I was going to bed and my father winked at me secretly.

My father already knew that I lost on purpose.

***

received a hotter response than expected as soon as it was released.

This was a bit unexpected for me as well, especially because high school and college students and older liked more than children.

“I think the kids are having a little difficulty. Baseball is a game with a lot of situations and complicated strategies. You can do it even if you don’t know that, but since there’s a lot going on, I think they’re a little confused.”

“Well, actually, this could have been made more realistic, but I intentionally lowered the hitting and defense so that they wouldn’t be too difficult, but it’s still the same.”

I heard people’s reactions from Yang Geun-seok of All Electronics.

It was a time when people would stop by their regular game store without buying any games, just to chat about this and that.

It was a time when there were no Internet bulletin boards or even PC communication BBSs, so it was impossible to visit each and every home, so the fastest way to get people’s responses was to ask at game shops.

“I also had a bit of a hard time with the first two games. There were a lot of teams, and each team had its own unique characteristics. But once I got used to it, it was really fun. That’s why I tell people to just hold out for three games.”

“But if the kids are having a hard time, it might be a little difficult to continue the initial response.”

“Don’t worry too much. I heard everyone is trying hard to win the two-player game with their friends. It’s a little difficult at first, but kids learn faster. And this is a game that adults want to play more, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“How do you feel, hyung?”

“This will continue to do well. Many people came to buy for their sons, but this time it’s a little different. First of all, it’s baseball. I think they’ve definitely chosen a good subject matter. One of the regulars came back from playing a game and put on a baseball cap and said he was Jung Dae-ho, the 4th batter at Busan Jeil High School. I laughed when I saw that.”

While making a baseball game, we created virtual players that felt similar to famous baseball players, and Jung Dae-ho was one of them.

Of course, people these days have no idea who Jung Dae-ho is talking about, but it seems that stars have a timeless charm and this was also true here.

Even more encouraging news was that the collaboration package with Jewoo Electronics was selling better than expected.

Jewoo Electronics sold this special limited package under the name ‘Korean National Team Game Set.’

“It’s a great success, sir! The sales of Jemix, which had been drastically reduced because of Comboy, have not only recovered but have also increased! Hehehehe!”

As Jemix began to do well again, the voice of the marketing manager of Jewoo Electronics also became lively.

Jemix, which had been hit hard by the appearance of Hyunmyeong Comboy, began to revive.

If you were to choose the most famous game in the world right now, it would definitely be the Super Mario series. However, if you narrow this question down to Korea, the story is different.

At least for Korean gamers, was more famous than Super Mario. The success of was so surprising that there was no one who had even the slightest interest in games who didn’t know about it.

It was a package that even included the new work, .

In addition, was popular among children, and was popular among high school students and above.

The result of choosing baseball as a subject matter and trying to maximize the fun and excitement of baseball games was also having a great influence on expanding the gamer base.

I had the programmers go around game shops like Seun and Yongsan in the afternoon and hear people’s reactions directly.

It is important to receive feedback from consumers as much as developing a good game. Of course, sales volume is the biggest feedback, but for those who are still inexperienced, hearing voices from the field will be a great learning experience and a great inspiration at the same time.

And I prepared a gift for another person who had worked hard for me. I gave the gift to Manager Mo, who was leaving work after finishing work.

“What is this, Young Master?”

“Here’s a gift. I brought Gemix V, a game I developed, and a few famous games.”

Manager Mo hesitated for a moment before accepting my gift. He didn’t want to accept it, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse it.

“If it were another game, I wouldn’t have bothered to give it as a gift. But this time, I made a baseball game. I made it, but it’s a fun game. You should definitely try it.”

Manager Mo bowed to me and left without answering.

Surely you wouldn’t just throw it in the corner of the room without even opening the packaging, right?

I hope Manager Mo likes it.

***

Manager Mo Jun-hyeok returned home with the gift Seo Nam-joon gave him.

He didn’t like games. He didn’t like his son playing games either. But he couldn’t ignore the gift he received.

“Have a safe trip?”

As soon as Manager Mo entered the house, his son, Mo Seong-mo, quickly came out to the front door and greeted him. Manager Mo simply nodded instead of answering.

“Dad, what is that?”

“Well, it’s a game console.”

“A game console? You didn’t buy it for me? Really?”

Manager Mo couldn’t bring himself to tell her that he had received the gift because his son liked it much more than he thought.

“Then can I try it now?”

“Okay.”

When his son asked while fidgeting with the mix in his hand, Manager Mo reluctantly gave his permission.

My son, who will be starting elementary school next year, has matured early and has never once thrown a tantrum to Manager Mo. He has never once asked me to buy him a game console.

So, Manager Mo thought that his son had no interest in game consoles.

“wow···!”

My son opened the package, took out the game console, and let out a low gasp. It was a face I had never seen on my son before.

Manager Mo opened the manual to set up the game console, but his son had already connected the yellow, red, and white wires from the TV and the game console, plugged in the power adapter cord to the game console, and connected the controller in one go.

“Have you ever tried this?”

“At a friend’s house. But I didn’t do it! I just watched.”

The son quickly defended himself and looked at his father. Then he looked at several game packs and said.

“Huh? It’s baseball. Look. There’s baseball too.”

The son knew that his father’s only hobby was watching professional baseball games. His father only drank alcohol at home when he was watching baseball games.

Mo Seong-mo wanted to try that she had been watching at her friend’s house first, but she took out the baseball game and plugged it into her Jamix. While it was turning on, she folded and put away the packaging she had opened, and then went back to her seat after cleaning it up.

After the game title passed, Seongmo chose the practice game first. She was familiar with baseball because she watched professional baseball with her father.

The Virgin Mary soon became absorbed in the game. Manager Mo sat next to her son, who was playing the game without saying a word, and also watched him without saying a word.

Manager Mo served in the Vietnam War as a special forces agent, got married later, and had a son. However, the child’s mother died of illness four years ago, and with no other place to leave the child, Mo Jun-hyeok saved up his little money and opened a rice store to take care of the child while working.

Whenever I went to deliver rice, I always took my son with me on my bike. However, because I had no business acumen, the store barely managed to survive and eventually went out of business. At that time, I was lucky enough to get a job at the secretarial office of Myeongseong Group through a recommendation from a senior in the military.

The hours were irregular, but the pay was good, and the child was now able to prepare and eat meals for herself when her father was away. She never went hungry, even if the food was cold.

The son who was raised like that, Seongmo, was playing a game with his mouth open.

But watching my son play the game was quite fun, like watching a baseball game. The screen looked simple, but it was definitely the kind of baseball he knew.

Suddenly I became curious.

“Shall we do it together?”

Mo Jun-hyeok asked impulsively. Thinking about it, he realized that he had never played properly with a child before.

Every day was a struggle for him, just washing, feeding, and putting the child to bed. Whenever he ran to the neighborhood doctor’s house in the middle of the night carrying a sick child, he would always think of his dead wife’s face.

“Really?”

Son Seongmo quickly inserted another pad and handed it to his father, fearing that his father might change his mind.

The two rich men started a two-player game.

It was a match between Seoul and Suwon. Neither Mo Jun-hyeok nor his son Seong-mo were yet accustomed to the game and were unable to score points.

“ah!”

Although his son Seongmo occasionally got a hit, it did not lead to a score. Manager Mo was having a hard time controlling the game because it was awkward.

It was around the time the 5th time had passed.

The score between father and son is still 0:0.

The two played the game silently, just looking at the screen, without saying much. Then, Seongmo opened his mouth.

“dad.”

“huh?”

“What kind of person was your mother?”

Mo Jun-hyeok felt his heart pounding. His eyes were still focused on the screen, his hands were operating the gamepad, but his mind had gone blank.

“Beautiful… she was a beautiful person, the likes of which will never be found in this world. Do you remember your mother’s face?”

“no.”

Our Lady answered.

The son threw the ball and Manager Mo hit it. The ball flew far, but it was a normal fly out. But Seongmo did not run to catch the ball.

“I miss my mom.”

The pad that Mo Jun-hyeok was holding trembled slightly. Manager Mo barely calmed his thumping heart and opened his mouth.

“so do i.”

His voice was slightly broken as he answered.

The two rich men stared blankly at the screen. The runner continued to run and eventually came home.

[ Seoul 1: Suwon 0 ]

It was the first goal of the game and the first real conversation between the two fathers.

Mo Jun-hyeok’s eyes were red and bloodshot.